Yet, another story of good among us.It's been so great hearing so many stories from people in our church. Some of the stories are connected to what's happening in our church and some are stories of what God is doing in the lives of families, individuals, and our city. This story has a little to do with all of that.

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STORY #5 -- BY HILLARY GRANTHAM

I wish I could walk over to your house and share this with you over coffee, but here goes! I have never been so over-taken by the presence of God and surprised by the decision to still hope.

This last year, 5 years really, has been such a wrestle to hold on to hope and to what our family initially felt so passionate about pursuing together. And this last month has been a battle. The hardest place we have been yet. Often I look at people that I respect and value their highlight reel, but never stop to consider what led to the moments that I admire as courageous and inspiring.

What began as a 5-year journey to pursue God's plan for our family has exploded in the last month! Our community in Oklahoma City is viewing our highlight through our non-profit, Beads of Good, but there’s a struggle in that story.

Five years ago, we stepped into the unknown in pursuit of better. We wanted to live for something and knew that God had a mission He called our family to fulfill. Scripture tells stories that are connected to a lineage, a tribe, a family. Each family has a spiritual heritage, a mission that was passed down to each generation. As a member of the Grantham family, each of us has a specific role to play that works in harmony with our family’s purpose.

So, we left our jobs with no provision in sight and we left our vision of success to follow the loud voice in our heart. We each contributed to the family mission posted on the refrigerator. This is what we were going to be about. We weren’t sure where we were going, but we had faith that God did.

The leap was exhilarating! The adrenaline of taking that step was a shot of faith into our souls. We were willing to go anywhere and do without anything to be where God was present. But time passed, and slowly, without our permission, we replaced faith and risk with fear and comfort. Each step toward our dream felt like the movement of an old, rusty gear. At times, it looked like we might have actually stepped further away from our pursuit and created more of a tragedy.

Recently, Tim shared about Jacob in his Ancient Stories series and I was like, “Yes!” I feel like Jacob at the end when he expected that the worst-case scenario was impending--that his brother would take his life. But instead, God wrestled with him and called him Israel. Yah. Surprise! When we humble ourselves and allow God to be in control instead of taking over for fear that the ending won’t turn out in our favor, God can actually be mighty on our behalf.

So, what felt like a battle for our family that threatened to end tragically, has been a mind blowing experience of God’s goodness towards us. It is hard for me to put into words because I don’t understand it. I know it is God’s presence drawing us in, reminding us He is faithful, reminding us He is good. But the crazy part, the part that really messes with me and brings me to tears-- why now? Why not when we had faith? Why when we were barely hanging on? Wow. Surprise.

At the beginning of our 5-year journey to here, we wrote down that as a family we wanted to serve our city and connect to our neighbors. How fitting it was that the Mannin’s became our neighbors last year and invited us into this amazing community of people--a group of people passionate about lifting and serving their city.

Thank you, OKC Community Church, for hosting us, allowing us to worship with you, and believing in our dream. We are excited about what God is doing through our family and our church and can't wait to see what transpires! Thank you for following Christ and being obedient with your life that others might follow you.

May we as a family and Body of Believers always see what is hidden. May we be surprised by the hope we dare cling to.

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If you have a story that you’d like to share with us please CONTACT US and we’d love to hear it.